Ejector type pumping apparatus



oct. 19, 1965 A. E. CASTELLQT 3,212,450

EJECTOR TYPE PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Deo. 17, 1962 INVENTOR BY fQd/Qvlp/ om? ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,212,450 EJECTOR TYPEPUMPING APPARATUS Antonio Echeverria Castellet, 505 Palenque St., MexicoCity, Mexico Filed Dec. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 245,050 6 Claims. (Cl.103260) This invention relates to an ejector type pumping apparatus forraising fluids and more particularly to an ejector type pumpingapparatus having novel means for inserting and recovering the impeller4for inspection or other purposes. v

In conventional ejector type pumping apparatus the impeller thereofnormally is formed integral with or rigidly secured to a section of thepump tubing. Generally, Whenever it is desired either to insert orremove such impellers it is necessary to remove and disassemble sectionsof the tubing with various types of heavy equipment including cranes,hoists and the like resulting in considerable expense and delay.

Accordingly it is the general object of the present invention to providean improved ejector type pumping apparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved ejector typepumping apparatus having novel means for inserting and recovering theimpeller thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved ejectortype pumping apparatus having novel means for inserting and recoveringthe impeller thereof whereby no major disassembly of the pumpingapparatus is required.

A sti-ll further object of this invention is to provide an improvedejector type pumping apparatus having novel means for inserting andrecovering the impeller thereof whereby no additional special equipmentis required.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved ejector typepumping apparatus having novel means for rapidly positioning andrecovering the irnpeller thereof, which involves a simple andinexpensive construction.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art, from the following descriptionwhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view of the invention; and

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the invention having the topportion thereof broken away.

In accordance with the broad aspects of the present invention, there isprovided an ejector type pumping apparatus for raising fluids whichcomprises a fluid passage means having at least one opening in a lowerportion thereof and an ejector type impeller disposed in the fluidpassage means and displaceable along a predetermined length thereof. Theimpeller is provided with at least one inlet port communicating with theentraining zone thereof and is adapted to .be retained underpredetermined conditions in a preselected zone in the fluid passagemeans so that the inlet ports thereof register with the openings in thefluid passage means. Additional means are provided for preselectivelyinjecting a fluid in opposite directions in the fluid passage means todisplace the impeller along the predetermined length thereof. By simplyreversing the direction of ow of the uid in the iiuid passage means, theimpe-ller can either be positioned for pumping or for removal vfrom theapparatus for inspection or other purposes.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a preferred embodiment of theinvention comprising a suitable casing 10, sunk into a stratum 11 andcommunicating with an underground reservoir of fluid 12 whichconstitutes the iluid to be raised. The pumping apparatus more par-3,212,450 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 ice ticularly comprises a pair ofparallel, elongated pumping tubes 13 and 14 which are joined at theupper and lower ends thereof to provide a substantially elongatedO-shaped closed fluid passage means. The tubes 13 and 14 can beconstructed of any suitable material and can also be constructed insections in accordance with conventional practice. As in other similarejector type pumping equipment, the lower portions of the pumping tubesare adapted to be submerged in the reservoir of iluid to be raised. Theupper portions thereof are located above ground as shown.

Surrounding a portion of the lower end of pumping tube 13 and suitablysecured thereto is a closed jacket member 15 having a reduced dependingportion 16 respectively defining a suction chamber 17 and an admissionchamber 18. The reduced portion 16 is provided with a plurality of inletports 19 for entry of the fluid to be raised. Disposed in the reducedportion 16 is a one way valve 20 comprising a transversely disposed disc21 formed with an opening 22 through which the fluid passes, the upperend of the opening 22 providing a seat for the ball member 23 which isrestricted in vertical upward movement by means of a restraining bar 24.The lower portion of pumping tube 13 also is provided with openings 25which provide communication between suction chamber 17 and the interiorof pumping tubes 13 and 14.

Disposed in tube 13 and adapted to be displaced along a predeterminedlength thereof is an impeller 26 of substantially conventionalconstruction havin-g a converging zone 27, a low pressure fluidentraining zone 28 and a diverging zone 29. The impeller also isprovided with inlet ports 32 which open into the entraining zone thereofand which are adapted to register with openings 25 when the impeller isseated on annular seat 31 provided by the shoulder portion 30 formed onthe inside surface of tube 13 below openings 25. The diameter of theimpeller is slightly smaller than the inside dia-meter of the tube 13 tofacilitate the displacement thereof a-long the predetermined length oftravel thereof. To prevent passage of fluid through the annular spacingbetween the impeller and the tube 13, the impeller is provided with apacking 33 or other suitable sealing means.

Referring to the upper end of the apparatus as shown in FIGURE 1, thetube 13 is provided with an extension tube portion 34 which is formedintegral and in alignment therewith. The aligned extension tube portion34 has a cap member 35 threadedly mounted on the upper opened endthereof which is adapted to be readily removed for purposes as willlater be described. An inlet tube 36 is connected to the pumping tube 13just below the extension tube portion 34, which is connected at its`opposite end to a suitable pump. Connected to the upper portion ofpumping tube 14 is a discharge tube 37. Finally, interconnecting theinlet tube 36 and the pumping t-ube 14, below the discharge tube 37, isa bypass tube 38. To control the flow of fluid through the various tubesthere is provided a plurality of valves including valve 39 disposedbetween the junctions of inlet tube 36 and tubes 13 .and 38, valve 40 intube 13 below the junction thereof with inlet tube 36, valve 41 inbypass tube 38, and valves 42 and 43 in pumping tube 14 disposed oneither side of the junction thereof with the discharge tube 37.

During the normal pumping operation of the apparatus, the impeller isseated on the .annular seat 31 so that the inlet ports 32 of theimpeller register with the openings 25 in the tube 13. With the impellerso positioned and the cap member rmly screwed on, valves 39, 40 and 43are opened and valves 41 and 42 are closed so that fluid under pressureows from the pump through inlet tube 36, pumping tube 13, impeller 36,pumping tube 14 and discharge tube 37. Under such conditions, a venturieffect is produced in the impeller to cause the fluid 12 to be drawn inthrough openings 19 into admission chamber 18, through one way valve 20,suction chamber 17 and through registered openings 25 and 32 into thelow pressure entraining zone 28 where the fiuid 12 joins the main streamof fluid in the pu-mping apparatus. As the fluid continues to flowthrough diverging zone 29 in the impeller, the velocity thereofdecreases and the pressure increases sufficiently to overcome the backpressure in the apparatus and force the fiuid up through pumping tube 14and out through discharge tube 37. The force of the fluid during thepumping operation also is sufficient to retain the impeller in theseated position as shown in FIG- URE 2 to maintain openings 25 and 32 inregistry. Also, it will Ibe noted that the packing 33 between theimpeller and the pumping tube 13 acts as a seal to isolate the highpressure region upstream from the low pressure region in the entrainingzone.

To remove the impeller from the apparatus, valves 40, 41 and 42 areopened and valves 39 and 43 are closed. This essentially will reversethe flow of fluid in the apparatus so that the fluid will flow throughinlet tube 36, bypass valve 38, pumping tube 14, pumping tube 13,through the top portion of tube 14 and out through discharge tube 37.Under such rever-se flow, the impeller will be unseated and forced upthrough tube 13 into eX- tension tube 34 from which it may be recovered'by removing cap member 35. It. will be noted that when the direction ofduid is thus reversed, uid is prevented from escaping through openings19 by means of closed valve 20.

It would also be possible to recover the impeller without the use offluid flow in the apparatus simply by the use of a fishing tool whichcould be inserted through tube 13 from the top opening in extension tube34. To replace the impeller in the apparatus it would only be requiredto open valve 40 and insert the impeller in the `aligned extension tube34 permitting it to fall into position at rest on the annular seat 31.To more quickly and positively seat the impeller a small amount of fluidmay be injected into tube 13.

It will thus be appreciated that the present invention provides .animproved ejector type pumping apparatus wherein the impeller may bequickly inserted and recovered simply by means of reversing thedirection of flow of the pumping fluid, requiring no major disassemblyof the apparatus nor any special type of recovery equipment.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that thereare a number of changes, adaptations, and modifications of the presentinvention which come within the pr-ovince of those skilled in the art.However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from thespirit of t-he invention be considered as within the scope thereof aslimited solely by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An ejector type pumping apparatus for raising fluids comprising ,afluid passage means hav-ing at least one opening in a lower portionthereof, a closed jacket member surrounding and secured to a lower endof said fluid passage means defining a suction chamber communicatingwith said opening in said uid passage means, said closed jacket memberhaving intake openings, 4one way valve means disposed in said suctionchamber between said intake openings and said opening in said fluidpassage means, an ejector type impeller having an entraining zonedisposed in said fluid pass-age means and displaceable along apredetermined length thereof, said impeller having at least one inletport communicating with the entraining zone thereof, means disposed insaid fluid passage means at one end of said predetermined lengt-h forseating said impeller so that the inlet port therein registers with saidopening in said fluid passage means and fluid means for displacing saidimpeller along said predetermined length of said fluid passage means.

2. An ejector type pumping apparatus for raising fluids comprising fluidpassage means having at least one opening in a lower portion thereof, aclosed jacket member surrounding and secured to a lower end of saidfiuid passage means defining a suction chamber communicating with saidopening in said uid passage means, said closed jacket member havingintake openings, one way valve means disposed in said suction chamberbetween said intake openings and said opening in said iiuid passagemeans, an ejector type impeller having an entraining zone disposed insaid fluid passage means and displaceable along a predetermined lengththereof, said impeller having at least one inlet port communicating withthe entraining zone thereof, means disposed in said fluid passage meansat one end of said predetermined length thereof for seating saidimpeller so that the inlet port therein registers with said opening insaid fluid passage means and means for pre-selectively injecting uidunder pressure in opposite directions selectively in said fluid passagemeans to displace said impeller along said predetermined length thereof.

3. An ejector type pumping apparatus for raising fluids comprising fluidpassage means having at least lone opening in a lower portion thereof, aclosed jacket member surrounding and secured to a lower portion of saidfluid passage means defining a suction chamber in communication withsaid opening in said fluid passage means, said closed jacket memberhaving intake openings, one way valve means disposed in` said suctionchamber between said intake openings and said opening in saidy fluidpassage means, an ejector type impeller having an entraining zonedisposed in said fluid passage means and displaceable along apredetermined length thereof, said impeller having at least one inletport communicatingwith the entraining zone thereof, means-disposed insaid fluid passage means at one end of said predetermined length thereoffor seating said impeller so thatv the inlet port therein registers withsaid opening in said fluid passage means, means for preselectivelyinjecting a fluid under pressure in opposite directions selectively insaid fluid passage means to displace said impeller along saidpredetermined length thereof and sealing means disposed on said impellerand extending between said impeller and said fluid passage means forisolating the high pressure upstream region in said uid passage meansfrom the low pressure region at the entraining zone of said impellerwhen said impeller is positioned on said seating means and fluid underpressure is injected in said uid passage means urging said impeller inthe seated position.

4. An-ejector type pumping apparatus for raising fluids comprising rstand second elongated tubes joined at the upper and lower ends thereofdefining a closed fluid passage means, said first elongated tube havingat least one opening disposed in a lower portion thereof, an ejectortype impeller having an entraining zone disposed in said first elongatedtube and displaceable along a predetermined length thereof, saidimpeller having at least one inlet port communicating with theentraining zone thereof, said first elongated tube having a shoulderportion on the inside surface thereof providing an annular seat, saidannular seat being disposed below said opening in said first elongatedtube so that the inlet port in said impeller will register with theopening in said first elongated tube when said impeller is seated onsaid annular seat, an extension tube connected in alignment with theupper end of said first elongated tube, said eX- tension tube having anopening in the free end thereof and a vcap member threadedly mountedthereon, an inlet tube connected to said first elongate-d tube belowsaid extension tube, a bypass tube interconnecting said inlet tube andsaid second elongated tube, a discharge tube connected to said secondelongated tube between the junction of said bypass tube and said secondelongated tube and t-he junction of the upper ends of said elongatedtubes, a valve disposed in said inlet tube between the junctions thereofand said bypass tube and said first elongated tube, a valve disposed insaid bypass tube, a valve disposed in said first elongated tube belowthe junction thereof with said inlet tube, and valves disposed in saidsecond elongated tube on either side of the junction thereof with saiddischarge tube.

5. An ejector type pumping apparatus for raising fluids comprising firstand second elongated tubes joined at the upper and lower ends thereofdefining a closed fluid passage means, said first elongated tube havingat least one opening disposed in a lower portion thereof, a closedjacket member surrounding and secured to a portion of the lower end ofsaid first elongated tube, said closed jacket member defining a suctionchamber in communication with the interior of` said first elongated tubeby means of said opening in the lower portion of said first elongatedtube, said closed jacket member having inlet openings, a one way valvedisposed in said suction chamber intermediate said inlet openings insaid closed jacket member and said opening in said first elongated tube,an ejector type impeller having an entraining zone disposed in saidfirst elongated tube and displaceablc along a predetermined lengththereof, said impeller having at least one inlet port communicating withthe entraining zone thereof, said first elongated tube having a shoulderportion on the inside surface thereof providing an annular seat, saidannular seat being disposed below said opening in said first elongatedtube so that the inlet port in said impeller will register with theopening in said elongated tube when said impeller is seated on saidannular seat, an `extension tube connected in alignment with said firstelongated tube, said extension tube having an opening in the free endthereof and a cap member threadedly mounted thereon, an inlet tubeconnected to said first elongated tube below said extension tube, abypass tube interconnecting said inlet tube and said second elongatedtube, a discharge tube connected to said second elongated tube betweenthe junction of said bypass tube and said second elongated tube and thejunction of the upper ends of said elongated tubes, a valve disposed insaid inlet tube between the junctions thereof and said bypass tube andsaid first elongated tube, a valve disposed in said bypass tube, a valvedisposed in said first elongated tube below the junction thereof withsaid inlet tube, and valves disposed in said second elongated tube oneither side of the junction thereof with said discharge tube.

6. An ejector type pumping apparatus for raising fluids comprising firstand second elongated tubes joined at the upper and lower ends thereofdefining a closed fluid passage means, said first elongated tube havingat least one opening in a lower portion thereof, a closed jacket membersurrounding and secured to a portion of the lower end of said firstelongated tube, said closed jacket member defining a suction chamber incommunication with the interior of said first elongated tube by means ofsaid opening in the lower portion of said first elongated tube, saidclosed jacket member having inlet openings in a bottom portion thereof,a one way valve disposed in said suction chamber intermediate said inletopenings` in said closed jacket member and said opening in said firstelongated tube, an ejector type impeller having an entraining zonedisposed in said first elongated tube and displaceable along apredetermined length thereof, said impeller having a diameter slightlyless than the inside diameter of said first elongated tube and at leastone inlet port communicating with the entraining zone thereof, saidfirst elongated tube having a shoulder portion on the inside surfacethereof providing an annular seat, said annular seat being disposedbelow said opening in said first elongated tube so that the inlet portin said impeller will register with the opening in said elongated tubewhen said impeller is seated on said annular seat, an extension tubeconnected in alignment with said first elongated tube, said extensiontube having an opening in the free end thereof and a cap memberthreadedly mounted thereon, an inlet tube connected to said firstelongated tube below said extension tube, a bypass tube interconnectingsaid inlet tube and said second elongated tube, a discharge tubeconnected to said second elongated tube between the junction of saidbypass tube and said second elongated tube and the junction of the upperends of said elongated tubes, a valve disposed in said inlet tubebetween the junctions thereof and said bypass tube and said firstelongated tube, a valve disposed in said bypass tube, a valve disposedin said first elongated tube below the junction thereof with said inlettube, valves disposed in said second elongated tube on either side ofthe junction thereof with said discharge tube and sealing means disposedon said impeller and extending between said impeller and said fluidpassage means for isolating the high pressure upstream region in saidfirst elongated tube from the loW pressure region in the entraining zoneof said impeller when said impeller is seated on said annular seat insaid first elongated tube and fluid under pressure is injected in saidfirst elongated tube urging said impeller in the seated position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,468,642 4/ 69Shallenberg 103--260 2,722,895 11/55 De Porter 103-260 X 2,812,723 11/57Coberly 103-260 LAURENCE V. EFNER, Primary Examiner.

WARREN E. COLEMAN, Examiner.

1. AN EJECTOR TYPE PUMPING APPARATUS FOR RAISING FLUIDS COMPRISING AFLUID PASSAGE MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING IN A LOWER PORTIONTHEREOF, A CLOSED JACKET MEMBER SURROUNDING AND SECURED TO A LOWER ENDOF SAID FLUID PASSAGE MEANS DEFINING A SUCTION CHAMBER COMMUNICATINGWITH SAID OPENING IN SAID FLUID PASSAGE MEANS, SAID CLOSED JACKET MEMBERHAVING INTAKE OPENINGS, ONE WAY VALVE MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID SUCTIONCHAMBER BETWEEN SAID INTAKE OPENINGS AND SAID OPENING IN SAID FLUIDPASSAGE MEANS, AND EJECTOR TYPE IMPELLER HAVING AN ENTRAINING ZONEDISPOSED IN SAID FLUID PASSAGE MEANS AND DISPLACEABLE ALONG APREDETERMINED LENGTH THEREOF, SAID IMPELLER HAV-ING AT LEAST ONE INLETPORT CCOMMUNICATING WITH THE ENTRAINING ZONE THEREOF, MEANS DISPOSED INSAID FLUID PASSAGE MEANS AT ONE END OF SAID PREDETERMINED LENGTH FORSEATING SAID IMPELLER SO THAT THE INLET PORT THEREIN REGISTERS WITH SAIDOPENING IN SAID FLUID PASSAGE MEANS AND FLUID MEANS FOR DISPLACING SAIDIMPELLER ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF SAID FLUID PASSAGE MEANS.